Top awards in Detroit go to Dodge, Cadillac

DETROIT - Cadillac and Dodge took the most-coveted hardware given at the kickoff of the annual North American International Auto Show yesterday.

DETROIT — Cadillac and Dodge took the most-coveted hardware given at the kickoff of the annual North American International Auto Show yesterday.

The Cadillac ATS, a compact luxury sedan, was named North American Car of the Year, topping the other finalists, the Ohio-made Honda Accord and the Ford Fusion. Chrysler’s Dodge Ram 1500 pickup was named North American Truck/Utility of the Year, finishing ahead of the Mazda CX-5 and Ford C-Max.

“This is a very meaningful honor for the entire Cadillac team, especially the men and women who build the ATS in Lansing, Mich., and our dedicated and talented designers and engineers,” said Bob Ferguson, General Motors vice president for Cadillac.

While the ATS is a new model, the Ram — albeit an older version — won this award in 1994. To be eligible, a vehicle must be new or redesigned in the previous year. The judges are 49 auto journalists.

Sweet new ’Vette

In a moment of gear-head ecstasy, Chevrolet brought out every generation of the Corvette and then gave the first look at the new one, the 2014 Corvette Stingray.

The new design and the Stingray name are part of General Motors’ attempt to recapture the mystique of a model that dates to 1953 and won many auto enthusiasts’ hearts with the 1963 Stingray.

GM is highlighting the car’s handling, including features that adapt to the weather and to the driver’s preferences.

“It actually tailors the car to the driving situation,” said Mark Reuss, GM’s vice president for North America.

The model sets new standards for Corvette’s power, acceleration and fuel economy, the company said. It is built in Bowling Green, Ky.

Onstage, a bright red 2014 model was joined by white models from each of Corvette’s generations.

The new one goes on sale in the third quarter.

American Mercedes

Though strongly identified with Germany, Mercedes-Benz used its news conference yesterday to highlight its connections to the United States. It began with a performance by Bruce Hornsby, playing his 1986 hit The Way it Is on a Steinway & Sons piano.

It turns out that William Steinway, founder of the piano company, was once co-owner of an automotive venture in New York with Gottlieb Daimler, founder of Mercedes. That comes from Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG. The 19th-century business partnership didn’t last long, but it was indicative of Mercedes’ close ties to this country, he said.

The story of Steinway was a roundabout way of talking about Mercedes’ plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala., which produced its first car in the 1990s and will make 180,000 units this year. Among the notable vehicles from the plant is the “Popemobile,” the glass-domed transport used by Pope Benedict XVI.